SPORTS: Match fixing in the Baltics an ongoing problem

• 2014-12-09
• By Eric Roberts

Eric Roberts, LONDON — For as long as there have been competitive football matches there has also been match fixing. While this issue has been around for a while, it seems that it has grown exponentially with the advent of online betting, putting an ugly mark on the beautiful game throughout the Baltic region as well as Europe as a whole.

For the continent, Europe has seen illegal betting on fixed matches come to be a billion Euro industry, with at least 380 documented instances of matches being fixed in the past. This has led to some big names being exposed as cheaters, with Italy’s Gennaro Gattuso being investigated, and former footballer Sam Sodje being caught accepting a 70,000 pound bribe in order to take a red card while playing for Portsmouth FC in a League One match.

The Baltic region has fared little better. In the past six months the area has been plagued by multiple scandals, including one in October where seven players and coaches from the Daugava Daugavpils football club in Latvia were arrested in connection to a match fixing scheme, which made headlines worldwide. Another big shakeup occurred in September when FIFA provisionally banned thirteen Estonian and Slovak players on suspicion of match fixing. The bans will keep the players from participating in FIFA sanctioned matches until December 31st, with some players being iced until at least March 31st, 2015.

Sadly, it appears that these kind of scandals are becoming the new normal, and will continue to pop into the region and world’s headlines until effective rules of enforcement and fair play are implemented in the region. While match fixing is a worldwide problem, it appears that areas such as the Baltic region are more susceptible to these issues. Why is this?

One could easily point a finger to the large presence of organized crime in the region. While law enforcement officials have come a long way in combating these crime syndicates, there are still many open holes that can lead to match fixing issues.

So how will Europe and the world continue to combat match fixing going forward?

With the fixing going through multiple continents, it appears that countries will have to work together on both ends to be able to enforce laws and to combat illegal operations. This always seems to be a difficult task though, as one country’s interest often times do not line up with another’s, leaving match fixing to become a festering sore on a great sport. FIFA also plays a large part in the problem, and they will have to step up in order to protect the sport’s integrity. Harsher penalties for players and officials involved in match corruption need to be implemented, with lifetime bans for first time offenders found guilty likely to be the best measure to keep illegal activities from being committed.

While there is no foolproof way to stop match fixing, it is important to see the integrity of football preserved. The hope is that the Baltic region is able to implement some method of change going forward in order to help restore its image of being as good a place as any to play the world’s greatest game.